Siffredis- Teneriffe

Checked out Siffredi's in Teneriffe with some foodies a couple weeks ago. We were all quite curious about the mixed reviews we had read online about the place and took the opportunity to try it out. Making a reservation for dinner on a Thursday night, it was half full and we were seated outside, thankfully it wasn't too hot.

The menu was one of the shortest I have seen. There was a small selection of snacks, spaghettis (no other pasta either) and sides with two desserts. We decided to go for a couple of snacks and one of each spaghetti along with the one side dish. I don't think I have ever been able to say that I've tried every single main on a menu before, especially in one meal, but now I definitely have.

 

Starting with the house made lemonade and a glass of rose, we both enjoyed the light refreshment. I tried his lemonade and it wasn't too sweet, which was nice. 

First side was the Ōra King Salmon croquette with curry mayo. These were fairly tasty with a very mild curry flavour to the mayo but there wasn't too much salmon and for $5 per piece they were on the expensive side.

The other snack we tried was Danny's bread served with macadamia cream. This dish was two servings, which was also priced at $5 each. The bread was quite dense and wholesome which we liked, the crust wasn't too thick and it wasn't served overly warm. The macadamia cream was also oily but not strong in macadamia taste. I would not get this snack again.

The one side on the menu comprised of Butter beans with yoghurt, rocket and lemon. It was light and tarte, cutting through a lot of the decadent pasta, however it didn't stand out as anything that stood out compared to other salads I've had previously. There also wasn't too much yoghurt in the dish which would have made it a bit more enjoyable.

As mentioned, we had one of each spaghetti. The first I tried was the Pumpkin with salsa verde, smoked burrata and hazelnut.  The portion was definitely lacking for a main size and without snacks it would be insufficient for a complete meal. I liked the delicate flavours of smoked burrata and hazelnut but mixed with pumpkin which was also light in taste made for a fairly bland dish. I did find the texture of the burrata really great though.

In contrast, our next dish was the Romesco with dried tomato and lime mascarpone. This dish was extremely intense with a tarte tomato flavour and multiplied with the sour lime element. I liked the mascarpone which added a creaminess to the dish.

The meatiest dish of the night was the Wild boar with caramelised onion and saffron pickle. I was very keen for a taste of the boar as I don't get to try it very often, but it was quite lacking in the dish and all I could find was a few strands of the meat, hardly enough to make too much of an assessment on it. It had a far stronger onion taste though which I could definitely appreciate.

The most decadent dish was without a doubt the WA rock lobster with carrot noisette, crispy sage and  bottarga. Compared to the last dish, there was definitely a far more generous amount of lobster in the dish, added with the umami bursting caviar, I really liked this dish. 

Last dish was my favourite, this was Squid ink with mussels, XO sauce and chilli. The texture of the pasta was far more fresh and it was a lot more firm than the other ones. The XO and chilli really added a punch to the dish and the flavours complemented each other very well. Even though there were one or two dishes that I found quite delicious, overall I don't see myself returning any time soon until improvements are made on the other aspects I highlighted.

Price Range: $35 - $45pp

Taste: 6/10

Value: 4/10

Service: 8/10

Environment: 5/10
 

Bisou Bisou - Fortitide Valley

Went to a birthday party the other week which was hosted at the fairly new Bisou Bisou at the lobby to Hotel X in Fortitude Valley. A couple blocks away from the entertainment district of the valley, it was still fairly close to the convenience of the city and it was a quick stroll after work. As with most new places, it was fairly full and booked out for the night. Service was fairly green and it wasn't easy to get the attention of waitstaff.

As is typical for french fare, the menu was sorted into courses. There were quite a few novel choices and we were keen to try a few of the options.

Bread was provided complimentary, it was served at room temperature but was still fairly crusty with a wholesome but dense centre. It would probably have been really enjoyable if toasted.

Our entrees didn't take overly long to come, this was Dr L's Baked crottin of goats cheese, ratatouille and basil pistou. Flaky and rich, he quite enjoyed it, especially the strong sharp taste of goats cheese which infused the dish. Although it was entree size, it was fairly small for the price point.

I opted for the usual Steak tartare with tête de moine, cured egg yolk and crisp potato. The steak was quite fresh and cured egg yolk was an interesting addition for us adding slightly different savoury umami flavour to the dish. The crisp potato was essentially potato chips and weren't overly noteworthy.

It was a shame that a few of our companions didn't order an entree because mains took over an hour to arrive, despite following up several times. This was Dr L's Parmesan and Thyme coated chicken schnitzel. For a main size, this was quite disappointing. The two pieces of chicken were very crunchy but the batter was thick and the chicken was fairly dry. 

We also ordered a side of Alligot which was a cheesy creamy mash. With it's elastic cheesy pull, and creamy texture, it was our favourite dish of the night. Again it was small for it's price and really only enough for one person.

Wanting something a bit more substantial, I had the beef and bacon cheeseburger with fries. Portions were definitely sufficient, however the base of the cheeseburger was quite burnt and not overly tasty. The top of the bun wasn't really warmed  but at least it was soft inside. The patty was ample but nothing overly special and it was a little odd that it also contained salami. The fries which were fresh and lightly seasoned with herbs was undoubtedly the highlight of my meal. Unless drastic improvements are made, I won't be back anytime soon.

Price Range: $40 - $60pp

Taste: 3/10

Value: 3/10

Service: 4/10

Environment: 8/10

Golden Kingdom - Sunnybank

Have recently seen the news that a new Taiwanese place had opened at Sunny Park, a friend and I decided it would be good to check it out for an early dinner. Hitting them up not long after five, I was pleased to see they were already half full and filled up not long after our arrival. The seating area was clean enough but the afternoon glare was fairly intolerable for the unlucky few who were allocated seating there. 

The menu was quite interesting, not because of their food options which were fairly standard in a Taiwanese context but I was told that a selling point for Golden Kingdom was the fact that they had all menu items under $10. Although this was technically true, it was more a sales gimmick as their noodle and rice dishes were largely sold plain and you had to add the relevant protein separately. This meant that all rice and noodle dishes could be customized to match with any protein you want. We ordered and paid at the counter.

As an opening special, we were gifted free wintermelon tea for every meal ordered. This was lightly sugared and quite refreshing. Although this isn't something I usually go for, it was quite delicious.

Food didn't take too long to arrive and it was quite a spread.

First up was the minced pork rice. I am a huge fan of this basic but very comforting dish. The pork was fatty and wholesome but there was nowhere near enough to accompany the portion of rice were were given and I think that $7.50 was a little steep for a bowl of rice with a small amount of mince.

Next was our dish of plain noodles (aka 陽春麵). Often when I order this, I am presented with plain white wheat noodles which are often flat and thick, on this occasion I was provided with thick round yellow noodles which weren't overly egg-y in flavour. Nevertheless it was better value than the rice, also being topped with a small amount of pork mince and really hit the spot.

 

In terms of protein, we had some Taiwanese Fried Chicken and a serve of Stewed Pork Chop. The chicken was exactly as I had expected, being crisp and coated in a delectable concoction of salt and pepper. The pork was not how I envisaged it however, also being deep fried and then based in a light soy based sauce before being served. It was slightly crunchy and we had expected a stew for us to accompany our rice. Overall there are better Taiwanese places around, especially in Sunnybank, but I wouldn't be adverse to the notion of coming back.

Price Range: $15  -$25pp

Taste: 7/10

Value: 7/10

Service: 7/10

Environment: 7/10

Falalalah - South Brisbane

Last Friday had a girls night out and caught up over some fusion Italian Korean food at Falalalah at South Brisbane, near the main intersection of the entertainment district. 

We made a booking because we had expected a full house but it turns out that it was relatively empty on the night which was quite a surprise. I thought it would be quite popular.

 

With two pages of menus they were listed under headings of pizza and pasta but also had a selection of Korean Fried Chicken. In order to try out more, we had one dish from each section to try.

It took a while for us to get the attention of waitstaff but our food didn't take very long to come out. The Spaghetti Bolognese was first to arrive and it was quite underwhelming. The portions were small for one main and we had around one bite each when shared between three. The sauce was very sweet and a bit watery without containing all that much meat. The pasta tasted like the dried store bought variety and I didn't enjoy it much.

We had a full size serve of boneless snow chicken. Having tried it previously in other Korean chains I was expecting the standard type of boneless chicken with a dusting of cheese powder (hence snow). What arrived was far from. There was some boneless fried chicken, but there was more onion than chicken and it was slathered in a sour cream herb sauce. There was no powdered cheese in sight and portions were a bit lacking especially for a main. The chicken was adequately crunchy although not very flavoursome, but given the situation with the onions and sauce, I couldn't recommend this dish.

Our last dish was the Bulgogi beef pizza which was the most fusion of our selections. The pizza base was the thinnest and most crispy I've experienced and it was almost biscuit like. Obviously this didnt help much when we already found the other mains to be lacking in portion. The amount of bulgogi wasn't too generous as you can see it bunched in the middle of the pizza. Other toppings were also few and far between. As for the beef, it was a bit coarse and dry with an overly sweet soy marinade. Completing a three out of three underwhelming mains, I definitely won't be in a rush to come back.

Price Range: $15 - $25pp

Taste: 4/10

Value: 4/10

Service: 6/10

Environment: 7/10 

Maker - South Brisbane

Have long wanted to make time to explore the rest of the eateries along Fish Lane and with Queen V finishing up earlier than usual on a Friday we headed down for a quick drink and snack before our scheduled dinner plans.

Had long read reviews about Maker, a fairly popular cocktail bar which is situated fairly close to Julius at the entry of the laneway. It was fairly nondescript and took us a little while to find the entry.

The bar was very small and probably only fit around 10 people, we were lucky to be able to get a spot. Inside was very dark and moody.

 

They had an interesting drinks menu with quite a few specialty cocktails along with wines and beers. They also had a small selection of toasties for those who were hungry too.

She had the Aperitif with watermelon, yuzu, orange and sparkling. This was light and fruity without being overly sweet. I had the White Rum, blueberry, bee pollen, thyme and lime. I normally wouldn't have gone for this except for the honeycomb which was displayed on the bar which piqued my interest. It was quite rich and sweet with a creamy foamy top. I enjoyed it but would go for something lighter next time. 

Having skipped lunch, my friend was quite hungry and opted for the kimchi asago toastie. It was really warm and crunchy with a good amount of spice that was mellowed out with the melty cheese. She really liked it and next time I will definitely be going for a toastie.

Price Range: $20 - $50pp

Taste: 8/10

Value: 7/10

Service: 8/10

Environment: 8/10